HI I THINK ADANS OF THORNE HAD IT, IT WAS YELLOW AND BLACK THEN
I THINK I HAVE A PHOTO OF IT AT HOME.
tonyhogi:
Kev , are you goin to change her back to a tractor unit? or is that too difficult? Anyway great to hear the ole girl is still around after all this time & i’ll drop you a line if in the area - would be great to see her after 30 years!! & dont hesitate to drop me a line if you need anymore info as i remember exactly how she was when newTony
I will be keeping it with the Wrecker Body on, but may have a change of heart on the Colours, as I’m thinking of returning the Cab into the Swift Livery minus the Name, its certainly changed my mind since our communications yesterday… Undecided to be fair. ■■
FREDDIE:
HI I THINK ADANS OF THORNE HAD IT, IT WAS YELLOW AND BLACK THEN
I THINK I HAVE A PHOTO OF IT AT HOME.
Hi Freddie, thanks for the Information, I will see if I can find anything online, although if you can post any pic’s that would be fantastic… Thank you.
Hi Kev are you from Telford way with TIP connections?
tribsa:
Hi Kev are you from Telford way with TIP connections?
I could be, that’s scary… Come on, spill the beans! 
But the answer is Yes!
Who’s this then… wouldn’t be Richard would it?
It certainly would be well done Kev just hook her out & slide a V8 in.
Only joking what a lucky find.
6V92 Detroit,each cylinder has a capacity of 92 inches. So in total a 552 cubic inch motor,or just over 9 litres.
Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a Transcon powered Detroit,a rare truck.
A 6V92 is only slightly smaller than the 8V71 that was fitted in the Bedford TM which is 568 cubic inches.
tribsa:
It certainly would be well done Kev just hook her out & slide a V8 in.
Only joking what a lucky find.
Hey Rich, great to hear from you!!! Hope you are very well, don’t forget to pop in and see us when you are up this way.
Still got my DAF mate?, loved that Motor. Keep in touch and hope to see you soon.
NZ JAMIE:
6V92 Detroit,each cylinder has a capacity of 92 inches. So in total a 552 cubic inch motor,or just over 9 litres.Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a Transcon powered Detroit,a rare truck.
A 6V92 is only slightly smaller than the 8V71 that was fitted in the Bedford TM which is 568 cubic inches.
Thanks Jamie, this Motor was used for a Trial by Ford (seem towards the end of the Transconti), maybe the only one remaining, who knows?
Sounds a beast of a Motor to be fair, she certainly compliments the Vehicle very well, probably would have made a great Truck even Better!
Thank you for the post and info.
hi transcon kev,
been a transcon. fan all my life,a truck from my childhood.am embarrassed to say,i never ever knew of any with a detroit in,full marks for buying and saving this one.please keep us all posted on your progress and good luck.
regards andrew.
p.s. i can’t recall mention of this unique motor in the transcon.book?
pete 359:
hi transcon kev,
been a transcon. fan all my life,a truck from my childhood.am embarrassed to say,i never ever knew of any with a detroit in,full marks for buying and saving this one.please keep us all posted on your progress and good luck.
regards andrew.
p.s. i can’t recall mention of this unique motor in the transcon.book?
Hi Andrew, I’m also a massive fan of the Ford Transcontinental,I can honestly say that I had also no idea that Ford had allegidly trialled the Detroit Diesel, it is purely based on the information provided by the guys on this post. I saw this vehicle advertised, went to view it and thought it sounded a little strange with the twin stakes on it, and certainly wasn’t like the normal sounds made by a ■■■■■■■■ then when I jumped underneath and saw the Engine and Bellhousing, I immediately thought that some serious engineering and modification had been made to fit a V6 Detroit into it. My thoughts were a ‘Bedford TM Detroit Lump’ had been used as some kind of donor, but once the cab was lifted, it appeared to have been a very professional job and I really couldn’t get my head around it all. I have since been told that two Transcon’s had had them fitted to trial the Engine with a view to introducing them into the Model? I am trying to get this confirmed by a good authority on these vehicles, but from what Tony tells me (above), its all very interesting and we may have a one off now?, who knows… All I know is that, I’ve got a dilemma on my hands, this Truck should really be restored back to a Tractor unit, but I need a Wrecker, so heaven knows what I should do!
Thanks for the post, and I will keep you all updated. Kev
Hi Kev , just a recap the other transcon was reg no. PNH 2R & was the first one to have the detroit fitted around 1980/81 - there is a picture of this in the peter davies collection i’ve been told ,but haven’t seen it myself , Swifts only ever had 4 transcons & ran them from insistence from Fords -being the main contractor at that time . Both trucks had the engines installed at the Detroit diesel allinson hq in Wellingborough ( now gone ) I don’t know whether they both had the same type of engine though . I presume one of the reasons they might of trialled this engine could have been to save weight , anyway hopefully someone on here may no more 
Tony
tonyhogi:
Hi Kev , just a recap the other transcon was reg no. PNH 2R & was the first one to have the detroit fitted around 1980/81 - there is a picture of this in the peter davies collection i’ve been told ,but haven’t seen it myself , Swifts only ever had 4 transcons & ran them from insistence from Fords -being the main contractor at that time . Both trucks had the engines installed at the Detroit diesel allinson hq in Wellingborough ( now gone ) I don’t know whether they both had the same type of engine though . I presume one of the reasons they might of trialled this engine could have been to save weight , anyway hopefully someone on here may no moreTony
That is a great shout, the V6 looks more compact and may have been better on fuel, I’m not sure to be fair, but I’m loving the info coming my way and to be honest, its making me want to save this vehicle, turning it into a work horse and customizing the interior of the cab seems like such a waste. Do I need to sell it onto a total enthusiast that will put it back into a Tractor Unit in Swift colours and livery?, I honestly don’t know?!
We need to look at a recovery vehicle, I love Transcon’s, but is it a shame not to get this back into its former glory.
Flippin 'eck Mr B. As soon as I started to read the thread I thought it must be you… then the Telford / TIP comment put the case beyond any reasonable doubt!!!. How come it has taken so long to get on here but seriously great to see another one of life’s good guys here?.
I have a few shots on my laptop in work of your blue Transcon that was parked up at TIP Nuneaton a few years back that I was going to post. For some reason the flash blurred the number plate out but I’ll load them on if that’s ok with you Kev?. My good friend Richie aka DAFMAN1 from Newport is also on here. I give him your number a few months back to assist him with a breakdown. He told me a funny story that his brother was ringing him constantly for about 30 minutes to see if he had help coming to his stranded vehicle, he could see his number flashing up all the time but he was too engrossed in a “Transcon conversation” with your goodself Kev to have the will power to take his call and update him…
I could kick myself Kev, I never photographed the rusting Transcon wrecker that was parked down the yard at Bruntingthorpe where I still am. I only passed it every day for about 7 years before it vanished. You must have some good pictures to upload also?. Richie puts a few of his on the Transcon threads. Ade.
Hi Transcon Kev,
Here is one that was advertised in May for sale…not sure if it was bought or not,but perhaps it would make a good donor vehicle for your interior project? PM me if you need the vendor’s email.
I drove that beast on several occasions during my term at Swifts, usually when my Volvo was in the workshop or some otehr reason and Jack (Tony’s dad) would give me the keys because he knew that he would get it back washed and clean as could be. It was I am sad to say an absolute pig to drive 
I hated the gearbox that had been installed by Alison/ Detroit when they put the engine in. You even had to tilt the cab just to check the oil. It did go like a train though but if you missed a gear on a hill you were f**ked 
It was stop on the side and start from 1st again. One night in mid winter I came in and was handed the keys but refused to go anywhere because the heater was not working. I never got in it again. I think Jack Shephard had it after Tony’s dad left the company.
Further to this piece … Swifts first Transcon was MVV164P, Bob Desborough drove it from new, t was sold after about 5 years to a guy from Malta, he kept it in Swifts colours even after he aquired it, this was my favourite unit to drive, it had a 290 ■■■■■■■ and the easiest gear box ever. 2nd Transcon they got was PNH2R driven by Graham Corcram (RIP), this was the first to get a Detroit installed and was an even bigger pig than TJL562S
I agree totally with you there Pat…I would have thought the Two Stroke diesel was a backward move compared to the ■■■■■■■■ Any two stroke Detroit I ever drove,I found you had to rev the ■■■■ off it to get it to perform. If you dropped revs on a hill,you were goosed. I always loved the NTC & Big Cam ■■■■■■■ to drive…it always dug in good and hard when the going got tough.
Why were Ford trialling the Detroit in 1982…I thought production was ramping down at that stage? I often wonder if they had continued with the ■■■■■■■ L10 engine as a further option,whilst taking the 14 litre to 400bhp and above,coupled with a few tweaks to the cab,they would have made a good truck even better and more attractive to the big fleets…